


Revolutionizing The Citadel

by kotacoyote



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Graphic Depictions of Illness, M/M, Multi, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-20 17:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4796222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotacoyote/pseuds/kotacoyote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Fury Road Furiosa and all of her companions set their minds to revolutionizing the citadel. However, that is easier said than done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. His Death Was Only The Beginning

It was hours before he woke. His hands were pummeled by the sand of a wasteland dust storm that had rendered his engine unfunctional upon impact. Even the spaces between his eyelashes, fingernails, and the harsh, dry cracks in his lips were now crammed to the brim with bitter sand. His eyes stung with the grit of it and his tastebuds overloaded with the sharp, earthen taste of it. He would be dumping the granuals out of his boots for weeks to come. 

"Da-" His words were cut off by a dry, wheezing cough that erupted from his esophagus violently.

He was parched. There was no cursing when you had a mouth full of scorched earth and when all saliva contained in said mouth evaporated hours earlier. He winced at the sting in this throat and began to sit up. Only now did he realize the way he folded in on himself to deflect the winds and sands of the dust storm almost caused his back to stick that way. He stretched awkwardly, wrenching out all the stiffness in his spine...or at least he thinks that is what Capable had called it. He croaked out a groan, a slow, agonizing groan. As he stood, sand flowed off of his form like waterfalls. _Oh_ , how he wished in that moment that every granule of sand were drops of fresh aqua-cola. He perked his head up, snapping out of his thirst induced daydream, to look around. His eyes locked on the citadel, a four hour run from where his heat-stricken vehicle layed amongst the wasteland. He frantically patted his pockets, hoping the winds had not taken his keys with them. He found his key resting securely in the depths of his pocket and jammed the key into the ignition, turning it three times. 

One. The engine makes a pathetic sputter and sand flies from its metal confines. 

Two. The engine begins to growl for a split second then dies down with a weak moan.

He grimaces, but his few seconds of disappointment are cut off by the urgent need forcing its way up through his stomach and intestines. He leans over the side of the car, expelling whatever bile and half-churned meal he possibly had onto the sand below. He could have sworn the sweltering heat evaporated some of the gruesome mess upont contact. "Gross" He mutters, angrily wiping leftover vomit from the sides of his splitting mouth. He was fuming. He had its first true meal in his entire lifetime, and there it was, cooking on the desert floor like an egg in a skillet. Once He's sure he's rid himself of the repulsive half-liquidized food and half-red chunks of bile, he heaves himself back into the earth covered vehicle. He jams the key in one last time.

 _ **Three.**_ The engine roars to life with the brutal twist and insanely audible metal of the key and he grins. The small victory even allowed him to ignore the dribble of blood down his chin from the painful crevices in his lips.

He drives his new beauty, bestowed upon him by Furiosa at the request of Nux, towards the towering Citadel. 

Slit had Nux to thank for everything. Furiosa had given him a black eye when he initially returned to the Citadel and the blonde wife with her cryptic messages spit into his other, bad eye. He couldn't blame them. He had been loyal to the Immortan, following him to the point of blind murder and spewing venomous words at his closest companion. Nux had no reason to trust Slit, much less to treat him as well as he had. But for whatever reason, Nux chose to spare him. It had been hard, these last couple of weeks, to let go of his ties to everything that he was. He couldn't imagine it was much easier for any of the other war boys. He was terrified that Furiosa would take away the high octane war that he and his boys thrived on. He was terrified that the war boys would go stir crazy under a roof that was far too peaceful. War boys were all fiery blood and adrenaline. If you stripped them of that, they'd start picking their own fights. 

* * *

 

The entrance to the Citadel came into view and as Slit drove up he caught sight of Furiosa standing on the lift, awaiting his arrival no doubt. He parked his beauty on the lift and stuck his head out of the window slightly to greet the daunting woman. Furiosa approached and glowered down at him, her gaze setting heavy over him like a blanket hotter than the blazing sun. He refused to meet her eyes. He refused to let her see the fear in his own. 

"What happened out there?" Her words were always like a slap across the face, rattling the shiny staples holding his face together. 

"Storm blew in. We got caught in it." Slit shifted in his seat uncomfortably under her gaze.

"We sent five others out there. Only two came back, including you. Where are the rest?" Her brows furrowed and her demeanor changed from upset to concerned in a matter of seconds. 

"Have no idea. When I woke it was just me." Slit frowned. He had been the leader of their first supply run to gas town after the Immortan's death and he botched it up. The guilt began to nibble at his conscience furiously and he shut his mouth. Conversations with Furiosa were like slowly digging a grave for himself and he was only digging himself deeper.

"Damn." Furiosa's eyes darted around while she searched for a solution in the depths of her mind. She sighed after a while of leaving Slit in a painful silence. "We wait for them. And hope the storm didn't take them with it. You were lucky, you know."

She made a signal for the lift to bring them up into the Citadel and turned to face Slit once again, demanding his attention. Slit craned his neck to meet her eyes hesitantly and grunted in response. She turned her head as the lift met the entrance. War boys lined the halls, working on various car parts and lancers were creating new thundersticks. A few heads perked up at the sight of the former Imperator and a few more to greet Slit as they strode towards the meeting place. Soon they came to the door and as Slit entered he heard a unanimous sigh from the wives along with a friendly greeting from Nux. Ignoring the criticism, he took a seat next to Nux who had the firm hand of Capable grasped around his arm. Her fiery hair was draped over his shoulder and she looked up at him like he was a special sort of chrome only heard of, but never seen. Slit groaned internally and focused in on the wall where the coloration was just a bit different, anything to distract from the softness of Nux leaning his head onto Slit's shoulder lightly. Slit would not be soft in front of prying eyes. And he would never be soft in front of Furiosa.

Furiosa returned from her moment of absence and the wives all greeted her with small smiles and kind eyes. The bloodbag was in the corner, silently looking on. Nux perked his head up nervously when Furiosa gave him a particularly funny look. Slit's eyes stayed glued to the wall, floating off into the space of his mind. 

She took a few steps forward. "We need to talk."

 


	2. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are put into action and everyone gets new roles in helping change the Citadel for the better.

Everyone fell silent with intent ears, even Slit, who hadn't been attentive at all until now. Max peered up from his spot in the corner, his reserved demeanor woken by the sound of Furiosa's voice. Dag and Cheedo were curled up into the nooks of each other's arms with shared looks of intrigue, occasionally giving one another speedy kisses on the cheek. Toast was as daunting as ever, even sitting there in complete silence with the others she out-shined Slit in intimidation. The Angharad was standing at Furiosa's side with a small smile that upturned the corners of her mouth ever so slightly. Nux and Slit shared expressions of mixed emotions, neither of them knowing what to expect. Capable still had her fingers clinging tightly around the curve of Nux's arm.

"We have a lot of work to do now that we're in charge. I'm counting on every one of you to help me fix the Citadel and make this a better place for all of us. Our first order of business is making another supply run to both the Gas Town and the Bullet Farm. I will assign two trusted war boys to go get the supplies and help with establishing new leaders in those towns. Slit, are you willing to make another run to Gas Town?" 

"I'd just be in the way. Best you send someone else." Slit frowned as the nagging guilt grew stronger in his gut. 

"Alright. Nux, do you want to make the run?"

"Sure. I can do it." Nux smiled slightly. Slit saw it better that way. He knew Nux would take and cherish any chance he could to be a driver. 

"I want to go too." Capable piped up but was quickly shot down.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere outside the Citadel. I want you to stay here and manage the pups." 

Capable huffed out a breath, "But don't the bigger boys help them?", She questioned.

"They did. I want them to have more than just help. The Immortan deprived everyone, excluding a handful, of proper education. I want the pups and the people below to have that. You'll start with the youth." Furiosa grabbed the stack of resting books from the desk sitting by Max and carried them over to place them into Capable's palms.

"I found some helpful information in these. I want you to read to them and teach them as much as you can." Capable stared down at the books and sifted through them for a moment before agreeing to the terms. 

Dag rose a hand, "I can grow sustenance for the people, Furiosa. I can be the garden tender if you like." 

"Good. You will help the gardeners grow more crops so we can feed everyone. And some of those plants will help with medicine. I've assigned Valkyrie to be our new doctor. Cheedo, you think you can handle being her assistant?" Cheedo nodded, her expression unsure, and Dag placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

"Max, you can help me talk to the people below and integrate them into the Citadel." A small grunt of agreement could be heard from Max as he gave a single, short nod of the head. 

"And Slit, you'll work with the war boys and help them understand all that's happened. I know they're scared right now. I need you to help them understand what you do. And you'll aid Capable in how to deal with the pups. And Angharad and Toast will get together and think of ways we can do more to fix the Citadel." Great, babysitting duty. Slit gave a short roll of the eyes and he heard Dag snicker from behind Cheedo's shoulder. 

"We'll all meet here at the end of the week and from then on we'll have a weekly meeting. Nux, you meet the boys tomorrow to set out for the supply run. Do we all understand?" Furiosa turned to exit the room as Cheedo spoke.

"Wait! Will you show me where the medical bay is?" She scrambled to her feet and was quickly hot on Furiosa's heels.

"Yeah. Come with me." And with that they left.

Slit stood with the intent of going to the bunks, saying hello to his boys and laying his head down on the cold, back-pain of a bed. But as he stood, there was a small palm on the backside of his shoulder. He peered over to see Capable and grunted distantly. 

"Looks like we're partners. Want to show me where the pups stay?" She asked, making her way to the door at his side and waved to Nux for him to come with them. But the Dag tapped him on the shoulder and looked up to capable.

"Could I borrow the war boy for a bit to show me where the gardens are?" She asked, her eyes shimmering with the sunlight flowing in. Dag was always happier around plants.

"I don't mind. Take care of her Nux." Capable smiled and waved as she turned back to slit. 

"I'll show ya' where the pup bunks are. Stick close." He exited the room with her at his side and guided her down numerous hallways and cavernous rooms.

"They're gonna come back." Capable's voice broke through the silence as a minuscule whisper.

"Who?" Slits eyes fell on her but a moment before returning straight ahead of him.

"The boys lost in the storm. They're gonna come back."

"Nah. Storm probably dragged em' off." Capable frowned and started towards his arm with her hand but let it fall to her side, not wanting to make this weird. He gave her what looked to be a reassuring smile, but she couldn't be sure and they continued on their way until they met the entrance to the pup's bunks. Slit rushed ahead of her and inside and the sides of his mouth stretched his scars into one long grin running from one side of his face to the other. Capable thought it suited him more than his usual distant look.

" 'Ere the little rascals are!" Slit knelt to his knees and received numerous hugs from small hands and playful headbutts. As Slit's smile widened, Capable caught the glint of the staples holding his face together in an awkward manner. She never really had a good look at Slit until now, noticing the scarification that was carved into the lower half of his torso and down his spine. She also noticed that he had staples in one of his sides and just how grievous the scars were that sliced through the sides of his mouth and made their way up to his lower cheeks. She didn't want to imagine how long it took for those to heal. She was quickly shaken from her thoughts by tiny fingers attaching themselves to her knee and she looked down to see a young war pup, painted white as they all were with dark circles painted around his eyes. He sort of reminded her of Nux, with the way he simply grinned up at her with a baby's innocence. She patted his head gently and greeted him, asking him his name. 

"I'm Zev. You're not a war boy..." Zev looked to her inquisitively. 

"No, I'm not. I'm your new teacher." Capable smiled down at him as other war pups began to abandon the embrace of Slit and flock to her. 

"A teacher?!" One shouted. 

"We've never had one of those!" Another added. 

"Well, you do now." She took time to look over the lot of them. Some were tall and others were tiny, like Zev. Some had blackened foreheads, others had blackened noses and eyes. Some had both. Many of the boys already had scars, making Capable's brows knit together with worry. Just how young did the war pups start to get into dangerous situations?

"Are you gonna teach us to wrestle?! Or.. or.. how to be shiny and chrome like the bigger boys?!" Zev shouted excitedly. 

"I'm afraid not. But, I brought some stories that I'd like to read to you. Can every one gather around me?" She sat on the dusty floor with her legs crossed over one another and grabbed the top book as the war pups found their seats. Capable cracked open the book with her thumb and lay the pages out before her. She then took the book in her hand and held it up for the pups to see. Capable recognized the story immediately as  _"The Velveteen Rabbit"._ Angharad showed this one to the girls when she found it and said that she used to read it when she was much younger. Capable smiled at the fond memory and began to read aloud. She sat like that for a long while, watching the pup's faces light up with excitement as they made their way through their story and answering their curious questions occasionally. Ever so often, Capable would glance up to Slit, who was behind the crowd of pups, and see him smile and even give a half-chuckle at the story. Maybe he hadn't been so bad after all. Maybe he was just like Nux had been when they met. 

By the time the story was over, most of the pups had fallen asleep and were piled uncomfortably together. Capable stood, and dusted herself off, looking up to catch Slit snoozing as well. She gathered the books and reached out her hand to give his shoulder a gentle shake. Slit woke reluctantly and stood on wobbly feet, asking her how long he'd been drifting into his dreams. She just chuckled and urged him to show her the way back before the sun started to go down. 

"Thank you for taking all of the headbutts for me. I think I would have caught a migraine." She gave a small chuckle.

"No problem. It's just what we do. S' a friendly thing." He explained.

"Can I ask you something?" 

"Dunno. Can you?" Capable gave him a dead-pan look before continuing. 

"You could have easily continued believing in the old man like you had been. Why the change of heart?" Slit sighed shortly and hesitated. 

"Haven't completely stopped believing in him, even with everything that's happened. S' something that takes time. That's all I knew, my whole half-life, is what he told us." Slit cast his eyes to the floor and Capable refrained from pushing any further. She figured the gentle headbutt she gave his arm before they got back to the others was enough to show him she understood. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be more action with the other characters further into the story! Thanks for reading and leaving kudos. Enjoy this chapter.


	3. The People Of The Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wretched pose a problem and feelings are changing within the walls of the Citadel.

Sweat from the unbearable heat below the Citadel made Max's clothes stick to him uncomfortably. The hairs on the back of his neck were soaked and until now he hadn't realized how used to the shade within the walls of the Citadel he'd become. As they made their way towards the Wretched and their home on the floor of the wasteland, the stench slammed into them with cruel intent. The rotting of skin and prolonged disease and sickness filled the air, almost snuffing out all of the oxygen. Furiosa handed him a filter mask which Max took greedily from her hands, feeling suffocated by the air around him. The mask was kind and filtered most of the vile air out, making it more breathable, but the disease permeated air was strong and some of it still weaseled its way in. One thing was for sure, they couldn't allow them into the Citadel like this. The disease and sickness among The Wretched would spread to everyone within the rocky walls if they were allowed in now. 

"Can't let them in like this." Max desperately wanted some way to shield his eyes from the sting of the atmosphere and the scene before him.

"We're going to get Valkyrie out here. We won't be able to help all of them. Some of them are too far gone." 

They passed multitudes of wrinkled faces with sun-baked skin holding out rusted pots in hopes of any generosity. Furiosa scanned the crowd, squinting her eyes against the sun.

"What are we lookin' for?"

"For healthy people. If there are any, we can bring them in today. You cover the left, I'll cover the right. Meet me back at the lift with whoever you find." 

Max nods and is off in search of people. The sting of the air is beginning to give him harsh head pains by the time he spots his first healthy person. A young boy that couldn't be any older than 12 sat with and older woman, resting on her shoulder. Max approached and the older woman eyed him before offering her rusted pot for a donation of any kind. Max shook his head and gestured to the boy. 

"He's coming with me." The older woman frowned, the wrinkles at the sides of her mouth stretching and somehow making her look sicker than she already had. She placed a hand on the boy's head and gently shook him, but the boy did not budge and his head fell, lifeless to the side. Max's brows furrowed harshly and his heart rate accelerated. The memories of the ones he could not save flooded his vision demanding to know why. He blinked away the hallucinations as best as he could and a hard line of a frown crossed his face. He turned away not quite knowing what to feel or how to react and chose to walk away instead, searching for the next person. He found a man who looked to be in his twenties, but couldn't be sure. Many of those around him were aged cruelly beyond their actual years. 

"You. You're coming with me." The man looked up to him for a moment and decidedly stood up on wobbly, thin legs to follow Max. His knees gave and he struggled to lift himself back up from the dusty ground again. Max stepped forward and knelt down to scoop him up into his arms. The man began to weep silently and proclaimed he just couldn't go on any longer. Max allowed him to weep to himself and continued on.

A few hours passed and Max had barely a group of fifteen people healthy enough to integrate into the Citadel. He walked them back to the lift as the sun shrunk back behind the horizon and met Furiosa and her group at the lift where Valkyrie stood with her tools, flipping through the pages of a crinkled book. Furiosa herself was also carrying someone, a young girl, who was too frail to walk. The man stopped weeping a while ago, but looked as if he would start again at the sight of the girl. Furiosa made her way to the lift and set the young girl down for her check-up and Max followed, doing the same for the man in his arms. 

"These two need food very soon, but they should be healthy enough to bring in." Furiosa looked them over as the girl struck a quiet conversation with the man. 

"Got it." Valkyrie turned to the man and girl. "Alright you two, ready for your check-up?" They both exchanged awkward glances, having never heard of or seen a check-up. 

* * *

 

By the time Valkyrie made her way through the group, only two had been sent back, leaving thirteen in the group. They were first escorted to the showers, where they could wash up for more than likely the first time in their lives. Having to tend to the deathly thin man, max set him gently down into the water and helped him clean as much as he could whilst the man uttered thank you's and other words of gratitude to him. Its funny, Max had seen worse, however his past combined with its similarity to his situation now somehow made the pain of it worse. But he'd push through the pain if it meant saving people. When they were done, they brought the people dry towels and aided the girl and the man in standing up. In the midst of drying off, the frail young girl whined for her family. That is, whatever she had left of it. Furiosa shushed her, saying that perhaps in due time, they would be reunited again.

Previously, Furiosa had cleared an unused room within the citadel for beds and a room for the people. When they set eyes on the beds , many of them began to cry tears of joy and the room fell into an uproar of sobs.

"This is where you will sleep. You will be brought food soon and we'll have two people to watch you and help those who can not walk."

The group nodded and began to get accustomed to their new place. Furiosa called in the two war boys to watch over them and was headed back up the towering Citadel with Max in tow. The passed a hallway that looked out into the gardens where the Dag was tending to leafy things of all kinds and Furiosa turned down it, calling out for her. 

"Time to head back. Bring Nux." Dag nodded and was off to find the war boy nestled withing rows of flowering and sprouting plants. 

She found him next to the Aloe, prodding at the tiny spikes on either side of the plant in curiosity. He noticed her presence and quickly drew his hand away, standing to greet her. 

"I've never seen this place. All my life spent here and haven't seen a sliver of it." Nux placed his finger on the underside of a leaf that belonged to a plant on the left of him and tilted it to inspect it eagerly. 

"You as jealous as I am? I begged to come here, but the old schlanger never let me." Dag gently watered the plants nearest to her that needed it and set the hose down at her side.

"I am." Nux cast his eyes to the ground "But its alright now. We're all... all.."

"All free." Dag finished and Nux gave a short nod. 

"Well. Come on. Furiosa's called for us, its time to go rest our weary spirits." Dag set off for the door, her hand-made necklaces softly clinking and clanking together as she walked. Nux caught up to lead the way. 

* * *

 

They all met back at their rooms and most were asleep by the time Nux and Dag got back. Slit was draped over the staircase, seeming awfully uncomfortable with the way the rough ground jutted into his skin. Nux awoke him, signaling that it really was okay to sleep in the bunk that lie in the room connecting to the girl's giant room. Slit stood, rubbing his eye harshly and followed. Toast and Cheedo were fast asleep on a mat made of many sheets and pillows that looked softer than anything Nux or Slit had ever experienced. Cheedo was sorting her new supplies, given to her by Valkyrie, neatly in the dingy tin box that they sat in. Capable was discussing what more she could teach the pups with Furiosa. Slit gave a friendly wave to them and Nux stole a quick kiss on the cheek from Capable before they made their way to their room where Max lie in his bunk, tossing in his sleep. They dared not wake him and climbed as quiet as they could manage to get into their bunks. 

Everyone fell fast asleep, except for nux, whose eyes were glued to the ceiling. He tested the word 'free' out on his tongue numerous times, deciding it was his new favorite. 

Nux was but a whisper in the dead of night but the word's weight on his heart were great.

"We're all free." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the support on this and thanks for reading as well. Let me know if you have any concerns.


	4. Our Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capable meets the faces of many men, willing to die for what they believe in.

The sunlight filtering in through the small windows hollowed out of the walls illuminated Capable's path to the bunks of the war boys. Today she'd go with Slit to meet them, the half-lives of the Immortan's army. The shakes that rattled her nerves were unbearable. She recalled her story time yesterday, but pup's were one thing. They were small and had no mind yet for the unspeakable actions of the older boys. They were innocent in every sense of the term, until they grew up into the boys she'd meet today. The road war before all of this had just given Capable a minuscule glimpse of what these men were able to accomplish, and none of it was pretty. They killed and screamed and were more cruel than Capable had ever witnessed anyone be. However, the thing that got to her the most was that they died for a liar. They died for no good cause and an old, tyrant of a man. That was something Capable could not wrap her head around. Couldn't grasp the idea of it all. In the dark corners of her mind she knew that this was all they ever knew to be true. But for her, it was everything she knew to be wrong and false.

Slit seemed to finally notice her trembling fingers because he came to a halt and motioned for her to do so as well. 

"Just stick close. Its scary, yeah. But I'm right here. Nux would have my head if anyone hurt you. S' gonna be fine." He attempted to reassure her with a brief hand to the shoulder and she nodded, doing her best to shake the nervousness from her bones.

"Its hard, after everything I saw out there." Capable dwelt on the thought for a moment. "But you're right. Let's go." 

Slit gave a short nod of the head, glad to see a little of the tension leave Capable's shoulders. The two of them turned a sharp earthen corner to face down a vast and spacious hall that was teeming with life. Half-lived bodies that were seemingly rougher than the ground beneath their feet. The shouts of war boys and roar of simultaneous conversations shook the walls and echoed outward at least a mile or two. In a dark corner she saw many ghostly men huddled up together, looking rather sickly with their sunken in eye sockets and malnourished skin from which old war paint was flaking off. Other men were atop their bunks sharpening their blades and crafting thundersticks. Capable thought that couldn't possibly be safe. Slit pulled her closer to him looking alert and stern as his brows knit together. She stuck close to his side, avoiding any contact with the passing men. Some ignored her very existence and others caught sight of her and looked to her as if she were divine. The room was permeated with the smell of sweat and hard work and men that had gone all too long without a shower. But one good thing, Capable noted, was that they weren't brawling in graphic ways that Toast had described to her previously. They weren't drawing blood from one another so far and she could be thankful for that.

Their feet met with the end of the hall that towered upward with many chains and ropes suspended from the ceiling, belonging to the lift, Capable supposed. Much to her surprise, Slit demanded that she stay put and began escalating the long chain beside them to shout upward at war boys that stood upon the platforms which held the mechanisms that pulled up the lift. Slit slid down afterwards, becoming her security blanket once again in the chaos of the hall. The rattle of chains soon became deafening paired with everything else and capable rose her hands to her ears in an attempt to shield them. The lift rose and rose until it was level with the opening of the grand hallway and Slit ushered Capable to it. Not a moment later than they set their feet safely on the lift, it began to rise more until they were mid-way into the vast opening of the Citadel. Slit shouted to halt and so the lift did. Slit made his way to and stood at the front of the lift towards the center. His feet were sturdy and bolted to the ground in a manner that meant business. 

"War boys, hear me!" Slits voice ripped through the mass of noise produced by his companions and eyes wandered in the direction of the roar. Some stood to meet the voice of the fearsome man and others just looked on in confusion. 

"Come towards the lift, all of you!" The separate entities of white formed a crowd that joined into a blur coming towards them and carrying their conversations with them. Slit rang out in protest of their noise and silenced them with a brutal tone. 

When Capable peered down into the crowd she saw mutilated faces and scars and a great blur of white war paint and black eyes. She saw an array of men all existing as one. They were hardly individual people. Their scars would separate their souls if they did not all bear them on their bodies like symbols of a singular military machine. It made her sad, really. These people had all individuality and freedom ripped from their grasp and were forced into servitude to a man that treated them as less than a bug underneath his wheel. The blur came to a standstill and the only movement seen were men shuffling in place. Slit whispered to Capable requesting her assistance in relaying their message and warning that the reaction might not be what they hoped it would.

"Tell them that the Immortan was a liar and his death proves it. The old man claimed to be a god. He claimed to live forever. And now he is dead." Slit stood in silence, stung by the venom in her words and begun to question if he really understood that what she was saying was the truth. He shook his head and faced the crowd once more, vowing to push through this. 

"Our beloved Immortan is dead! We've all seen his gory head. Our way into Valhalla is no more. And perhaps it never was." War boys turned to one another questioning the start of Slit's speech, no doubt confused by the "traitorous" words he held. They grew into their infamous uproar shouting "you traitored him" and things of the like. Slit once again burst into protest and demanded they hear him out. A few minutes of throat burning howls and frustrated words and the boys settled down reluctantly. Slit took a moment to clear his throat and winced at the troublesome pain.

"The Immortan told us he was a God. He told us he'd live to see the day we rose, shiny and chrome! But he is gone! My friends, he was a false God. A man whose throne was built on lies!" There was a power in Slit's voice, a sort of emotion unknown to the fiery haired woman beside him, that pulled the others in and forced their ears to heed his words. 

"I didn't believe it either. But I saw his head myself. Many of you have too. He's dead and he lied. He ain't comin' back for us and he never was a savior." Slit's eyes trailed down and his expression was that of a person whose glory and love had been taken from him. His face was that of a man who had been betrayed. The boys below connected with this feeling, sharing looks of despair and disappointment. 

"Valhalla is still there! We don't need no Immortan to die well!" A voice shouted from the crowd and Capable took the wheel from Slit's hands, allowing him a moment to reprieve. 

"The Immortan made up Valhalla. He told you if you died in battle you'd go to a place shinier than anything you could imagine because he wanted you to be willing to die for him! Think about it! He made up everything you know because he wanted to control you."

"You ain't know nothing! You're just breedin' stock." A large war boy stepped forward out of the mass and Capable looked as if her hair might catch fire with her rage. 

"I was a slave! Just as you were!" Capable's teeth clacked together as she bit off each syllable. "He kept us both in captivity, did he not? He told us what to do, what to think. He robbed me of my freedom just as he did with you!" War boys at his back placed hands on his shoulder and whispered something unheard. The tall man turned.

"Go on." He encouraged with a quirked eyebrow.

"I was kept in a room high in the Citadel, one lonely little room, with five girls like myself. I was stripped of freedom and used for the Immortan's own good. You were kept in this hall, one lonely hall, with thousands of other men like yourself. You've been stripped of all freedom and manipulated to work for the Immortan's own good. We've all been used!" She peered down in disbelief when many war boys nodded and began to shout for freedom. She looked to Slit with her mouth agape and Slit shared a similar expression, his frown having vanished. Hands rose to form the V8 symbol, but this time, to honor the truth. This time it was to acknowledge themselves and not the old man. This time it was for them. Soon Slit requested that the lift be brought down and as it reached the floor of the hall, they were met with thousands of passionate war boys who were on their way to the green place of their minds. 

"Furiosa will give us freedom?" Asked a war boy at the feet of the lift. 

"She will. She gave it to me and she'll give it to all of you. This is not an overnight thing though. I know you guys need time to understand it all." Light as a feather, Capable walked through the crowd of men she had feared greatly not long ago, addressing the questions they all had. 

"Y'know, I heard stories, but I didn't expect the ones about your beauty to be true." A smaller man flattered Capable and her cheeks flushed with the color of her hair. 

"Might wanna back off Morsov, the runt has dibs on this one." Slit chuckled and patted a disappointed Morsov on the back. 

"The runt?" he questioned.

"Nux. Them two are love birds." Capable replied by sticking her tongue out at Slit and giving him that sassy look she did when she had first met him.

In the midst of conversation a small figure made it's way through the enormous gathering of men and shook Capable's sleeve. Capable peered down to meet the eyes of a breathless Zev. He bent over, placing his small hands on his knees and taking a moment to catch up with himself. After a few moments of rest he stood and looked up to her with deep concern. 

"Furiosa told me to get you. She said it was important." Capable looked down at him and asked him if it could wait but the boy insisted she come now. Capable bid Slit and the other war boys a good day and was off with her hand in that of Zev's. Flurries of the earthen walls and people crossed Capable's vision as she ran through the halls and up the stairs to one of the tallest rooms. 

"What's going on?" The urgency of their movements was frightening and Capable worried she'd trip on her own feet. 

"Not sure. Furiosa said it was important!" They rushed into the room that held the valves to the Citadels water supply and Furiosa stood in front of the telescope peering through it. Upon hearing the patter of Zev's and Capable's feet she rose her head and politely thanked Zev and requested that he leave them. Capable approached slowly, and Furiosa's expression grew more weary and depressed. 

"This isn't easy news. Nux and the others set out this morning. Look for yourself." Furiosa gestured towards the telescope and Capable stepped forward, offering her eye to it. When she looked out she saw nothing, and shifting the scope around all she found was more of the same desert terrain that permeated the wasteland. She found the road with nothing on it and stood back up, facing the frowning woman next to her.

"So they made it to Gas Town? Why isn't that easy news Furiosa? Did something go wrong?" Capable searched her face for any explanation behind her sadness. 

"They didn't make it to Gas Town. They're no where to be found Capable." Furiosa avoided her wide eyes and shuffled in place uncomfortably.

"What? Was there another storm?" Capable grabbed Furiosa by the wrist, demanding answers in a frantic way.

"No. There was no storm. They must have gotten attacked or something." ,She breathed out a painful sigh, "We'll do our best to find them. But I can't make any promises." 

"No! No no no!" Capable fell to her knees, tangling her fingers into her hair. "Why is this happening?!" 

She cried out and folded in on herself, having lost the will to stand up. Furiosa knelt down to her level and pulled her against her chest, attempting to silence her sobs. Angharad and Slit entered the room and were immediately at her sides and asking what happened in a panic. 

"What happened?" Slit's eyes danced around the scene before him and he placed a single hand on the middle of her back. 

"What's wrong?" Angharad demanded. 

Capable screamed out in a blood-curdling cry, asking why over and over. She writhed in her place on the floor and she was angry. She was angry at it all. 

"Nux is gone! L-Lost to the wasteland!!" She pounded her fist on the floor in a pathetic attempt to get retribution for her pains. 

They all looked to one another with wide eyes and a deep panic that set heavy in their bones. The wasteland was brutal and there was not a single person that it left untouched. Freedom only went so far because the land its self and the people within it would take you captive. The truth was, is that no matter how free you were out here, eventually it would be taken from you in one awful way or another. No one was free in a harsh land with cruel creatures roaming its surface. No one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for I have sinned! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm trying to give them more detail and make them longer. Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this! This is the first fic I've ever written so if there are any issues feel free to let me know.


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